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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 23 August 2010

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 9.3.4 and 8.2.4 -- Adobe has released updates to Adobe Acrobat and Reader - for both the current 9.x versions and the previous 8.x versions - to address a critical security vulnerability related to TrueType font handling. You can update using the programs' automatic update mechanisms, but many people, including us, have trouble with
them, so use the links provided to download the latest version manually if need be. That said, be warned that many people are having trouble with the update to Acrobat 8.2.4 rendering the program unusable - Adobe is aware of the problem. Until a fix appears, users of Acrobat 8.x should hold off on the update or, if it's too late, revert to 8.2.3. (Free updates, various sizes)

Pear Note 2.0.1 -- Hard on the heels of the major 2.0 release, Useful Fruit Software has released Pear Note 2.0.1 with two notable changes to the multimedia note-taking software. A crashing bug that could occur when Pear Note was updating its search cache has been fixed, and the Web sharing layout has been improved for very long recordings. ($39.99 new, free update, 5.0 MB)

TextExpander 3.1.1 -- Smile - née SmileOnMyMac - has upgraded its typing shortcut utility TextExpander to version 3.1.1. The maintenance release fixes a couple of serious bugs, including a potential crash and an issue that could cause you to lose all your saved snippets (the customizable shortcuts that you type to trigger longer text strings). The update also includes a fix for the Adapt to Case option. ($34.95 new, free update, 4.4 MB)

Interarchy 10.0.2 -- Nolobe's file transfer client Interarchy, which recently saw a major revision to 10.0, has now been bumped to version 10.0.2 to fix more bugs discovered after the main release. The latest bug fixes address various issues with Net Disks, and also correct problems with dragging and editing bookmarks, installing the Interarchy command line tool, and using the Open menu items. Also included in the latest upgrade are numerous improvements to Interarchy's Amazon S3 support. Note that this release also disables SSH ControlMaster, which was reportedly causing performance issues; a hidden preference key can be used to turn it back on. See
Nolobe's blog for full release notes. ($49.95 new, free update, 6.5 MB)

Snow Leopard Graphics Update -- Apple has released the Snow Leopard Graphics Update to address graphics problems in games and graphics applications. In particular, the update addresses frame rate performance problems in Portal and Team Fortress 2 on certain Macs, and fixes a bug that could cause Aperture 3 and StarCraft II to crash or freeze. Macworld is now reporting that the update can significantly improve graphics performance in other games as well. It's available via Software Update or the Apple Support Downloads page. (Free, 65.65 MB)

Keyboard Maestro 4.3.2 -- Stairways Software has upgraded its flagship Keyboard Maestro utility to version 4.3.2. The minor update addresses aesthetic and functional issues alike. On the visual side, the new version improves the look of disabled keyboard actions to make them more obviously disabled. On the usability side, various tweaks improve typing performance, correct issues with rogue characters, and fix a crash that could occur when referenced files were removed. Additionally, the release adds a configurable command for osascript, which enables you to execute AppleScript plug-ins as 32-bit. Keyboard Maestro requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher, and
a free trial is available. ($36 new, free upgrade, 9.0 MB)